200hr Kaya Yoga YTTC = Finished!

 Going Mental  No Responses »
Jun 112017
 

It was a lovely weekend overall, though I guess I am a bit tired from it. This is normal for me, but it was the end of a part of my yoga chapter.

These beautiful ladies all graduated from the 200hr Kaya Yoga Teacher Training held in Abu Dhabi at the Bodytree Studio from January to June 2017.

The final practical exams were held this weekend with the ladies bringing their clients to our place on Thursday and Friday. I got to do one exam as training for the teacher-training aspect and helped mark the written exam since it was just a shorter version of our 300hr training exam.

So, yesterday was the formal practice and written exams with a celebration afterwards with everyone. Due to the way that Yoga Alliance does their certification, I had to get my 200hr first and now I can register my 300hr, but in any case, I have both – just the dates on the certificates are confusing…. 😉

Still, the work is done for RYT-500 and now I aim towards getting E-RYT 200, which requires 1,000 hours of teaching/training teachers plus two years of experience from the initial certification. So, the chapter is not finished, but it is progressing along very nicely!

Me and Kaya

My teacher, Kaya, stayed the weekend with us as well, which was really nice as it gave us a chance to get to know each other better, talk and relax together. We even had a night out that was really lovely. It is so good to keep the heart open to people in our lives and I am glad to be reminded that there is always room for others if we just let ourselves be available for the love and kindness.

So, now I shall focus on recuperating as I managed to snap something in my glute in yesterday’s practice as well as hurt my neck…, but once I am back to feeling good I shall focus on just practice and teaching with love. ;D

~T 😀

TWWs

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Jun 102017
 

After a week and weekend of overdoing the TV time, I think that it is necessary to have an upping on my working out even if that means a lot of yoga! By the end of this week, I will have completed my 200hr Yoga Teacher Training course making me a full-fledged RYS-500 yoga instructor!!!

June 4th (Sunday)

  • 60′ yoga practice with meditation
  • 60′ Ladies Wellness Yoga
  • 60′ Private yoga session

June 5th (Monday)

  • 30′ light yoga practice with meditation
  • 60′ Ladies Wellness Yoga

June 6th (Tuesday)

  • Rest day

June 7th (Wednesday)

  • 30′ light yoga practice with meditation
  • 60′ Private yoga session

June 8th (Thursday)

  • Rest 

June 9th (Friday)

  • 60′ Private yoga session
  • 60′ Private yoga session 

June 10th (Saturday)

  • 200hr Yoga Teacher Training Exam Day!!

Karmic Cycle….

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Jun 092017
 

Often we talk about karma in the world of yoga. It is more than just what we understand as what comes around goes around.

Karma relates to the deeds – good or bad – that you do, have done, will do as well as those of your ancestors going back to the beginning of the existence of your soul. If you believe in God as a Christian or any other formal popular religion then this is a bit new age. However, it can be somewhat related to how as humans we continue to pay for the sins of Adam and Eve even though it was at the start of the world as we know it.

In the spiritual realm, karma relates to our souls that get reborn into new bodies. In some spiritualities these souls can be reborn into animal bodies; however, in most cases with yoga we talk about it in human forms.

I am sure there is a proper scientific study out there somewhere on this to explain why some people seem more “mature” than others or the person who is “wise beyond their years”, etc. Within the philosophy of yoga, we talk about that in terms of our karmic cycle.

While I am still working out the depths of my belief in this philosophy, I do believe that I am an old soul. Whether it is to justify to myself the early life that I have had or to give some sort of comfortable explanation to life, I do believe that I am the end of whatever karmic cycle my soul had started years ago.

In some ways I look at my adoption as a way of breaking away from the family cycle that may have been or still continues. I consider my lack of desire for children as another way of finishing the cycle. I feel that surviving my negative life experiences as a child was a way for my soul to work through the negative karma and to bring forth a positive end to the soul within me – allowing me to share love and compassion to others in my older years instead of growing old and bitter towards life as so many do and will.

Whether or not one believes in karma or these spiritual aspects does not matter. What matters most is how we cope with the life we were given and what sort of action are we taking day by day to improve ourselves to create a world of peace, love, calm and serenity for ourselves and those around us. Each person in our lives whether it is for a brief moment or a lifetime is affected by our words, our actions, our emotions, and even our breath. My wish is that the effect I have on others brings us a step closer to contentment and not towards chaos.

What effect are you having on those around you?

~T 😀

 

Sutra 3.9

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Jun 082017
 

3.9 Nirodha parinama is that state of transformation of mind where it is permeated by the moment of suppression which appears and disappears between incoming and outgoing samskaras. (vyutthana nirodhah samskara abhibhava pradurbhavau nirodhah ksana chitta anvayah nirodhah-parinamah) ~Sage Patanjali

It is fitting that on the last weekend of my 200hr Teacher Training that I spend some time reflecting on the journey of yoga that I have taken since November 2015. Nineteen months of almost non-stop learning, studying and growing in the world of yoga. My life has completely changed since I made a spontaneous decision to respond to a newsletter….

They key words in this sutra are:

  • nirodhah =  control, regulation, setting aside of
  • samskara = subtle impressions, imprints in the unconscious, deepest habits

For me, I think of the washing out of the footprints in the sand as waves push new sand on top of the imprint made before yet still remaining for a period of time. Each new step taken makes a new print/impression and it is the space between each step where our minds can be changed.

In most interpretations this sutra is about changing habits and forming new ones. If you read books on habit formation or transformation, this makes more sense. It is hard to break a habit as our minds have created grooves in the brain and neural connections between stimulus and reaction (habit). To break this connection, there has to be a new groove made and re-routing of the connections to relate certain stimulus to a new reaction. On the outside, this sounds simple enough. However, if you have ever tried to change your habits, develop a new personality trait or redefine who you are to others, then you know this is no easy task at all.

Still, it is possible. The phrase that anything is possible if you set your mind to it is more true than we realize!

~T 😀

TWWs

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Jun 032017
 

Starting the week as the beginning of Ramadan and a good opportunity to use it as a way of getting myself back into regular practice for myself even if it is a short session. I need to get my meditating on too, so will see how we go this week.

May 28th (Sunday)

  • 35′ light yoga practice with meditation

May 29th (Monday)

  • 30′ light yoga practice with meditation
  • 60′ Ladies Wellness Yoga
  • 60′ Private yoga session

May 30th (Tuesday)

  • Couch potato day…. 😐

May 31st (Wednesday)

  • 30′ light yoga practice with meditation
  • 60′ Men’s Wellness Yoga

June 1st (Thursday)

  • 60′ Private yoga session

June 2nd (Friday)

  • Rest day

June 3rd (Saturday)

  • 60′ Private yoga session

TWWs

 Going Mental  No Responses »
May 272017
 

My workouts are still stagnant. I need to get myself moving or at the very least outside in the sun. I will aim to do more of that this week since my schedule is (fortunately or not) freeing up. For this week, I managed:

May 21st (Sunday)

  • 60′ Ladies’ Wellness Yoga

May 22nd (Monday)

  • 60′ Ladies Wellness Yoga

May 23rd (Tuesday)

  • 60′ Private yoga session

May 24th (Wednesday)

  • 60′ Men’s Wellness Yoga

May 25th (Thursday)

  • Poolside

May 26th -27th (Friday – Saturday)

  • Rest

There is a small chance that I will do some yoga later or even the gym, but it is small for the weekend. Likely, I will make it up this week as I try to regulate the working out or perhaps just let my brain accept that this amount of yoga is enough…. 😛

Until then,

~T 😀

TWWs

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May 202017
 

So, my week started out fairly motivated and enthusiastic about getting into shape and then as the week wore on I started to feel tired and lazier. I have told myself that because I have a full weekend ahead of yoga that it is okay to take it easier during the week… 😛

I know there is not really anything to feel bad about, but my weight is not really changing, so this is my issue…. Anyway, I shall not worry about it – here is what I did do this week:

May 14th (Sunday)

  • 80′ Ashtanga primary series via YouTube
  • 60′ Ladies’ Wellness Yoga

May 15th (Monday)

  • 30′ Ashtanga introductory series via YouTube + 15′ meditation

May 16th (Tuesday)

  • 60′ Private yoga session

May 17th (Wednesday)

  • 60′ Men’s Wellness Yoga

May 18th – 20th (Thursday – Saturday)

  • Last 200hr Yoga Teacher Training Weekend before the exams!

TWWs

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May 132017
 

It has been a slow exercise week. I am struggling a bit in getting myself into a proper workout routine outside of the yoga sessions. Perhaps I will be able to find some focus after we get away this weekend. 

I did try a new sequence used by the Ashtanga primary series via YouTube, which I enjoyed and felt the benefits of. So, I imagine I shall incorporate that more into my exercise regime, but I still need to get myself to the gym as well…. Always goals to be met! 😉

May 7th (Sunday)

  • 60′ Ladies’ Wellness Yoga

May 8th (Monday)

  • 60′ Private yoga session

May 9th (Tuesday)

  • 65′ Ashtanga primary series via YouTube
  • 60′ Private yoga session

May 10th (Wednesday)

  • 60′ Men’s Wellness Yoga

May 11th – 13th (Thursday – Saturday)

  • Away on vacation in Fujairah….may do some practice but any exercise will likely consist of dips in the pool or raising the glass to my lips and back to the table or flipping from my backside to my front side. 😛

TWWs

 Going Mental  No Responses »
May 062017
 

My excuse is always recovery mode after a training weekend. Also, Aunt Flo makes me tired…. 🙁

So, here is what I managed this week.

April 30th (Sunday)

  • 60′ Ladies Wellness Yoga

May 1st (Monday)

  • 60′ Ladies Morning Wellness Yoga

May 2nd (Tuesday)

  • 60′ Private Yoga

May 3rd (Wednesday)

  • 60′ Men’s Wellness Yoga

May 4th (Thursday)

40′ Gym Time –

  • 10 burpees
  • 35 35kg total abdominal
  • 25 25kg adductor @7
  • 30 5kg ab crunch
  • 30 60kg leg press
  • 3.07km in 30’14” on treadmill – walk/run

May 5th (Friday)

  • Rest day

May 6th (Saturday)

  • 60′ Private Yoga

TWWs

 Going Mental  No Responses »
Apr 292017
 

Well this week has been much better. I managed to take the first steps to get myself back to the gym. Although I did not quite get back to my regular routine, I did get a start, which is half the battle! 😀 It helped to have a couple of random people mention to me in passing that they had noticed I had been absent from the gym. Even though I do not generally interact with others at the gym, it is nice to be seen.

So, here it is:

April 23rd (Sunday)

  • 60′ Ladies’ Evening Yoga

April 24th (Monday) – 20′

  • 15 burpees
  • 35 35kg total abdominal x2
  • 30 20kg low row
  • 40 5kg ab crunch x2
  • 20 15kg chest press
  • 30 4kg tricep back curls
  • 20 4kg back crunch
  • 15 4kg side crunch each side
  • 100 jumping jacks
  • 15 15kg shoulder press
  • 60′ Ladies’ Morning Yoga

April 25th (Tuesday) – 45′

  • 31′ 3.5km on treadmill
  • 20 7.5kg high pull machine
  • 10 5kg overhead press machine
  • 60′ Private 2:1 Yoga

April 26th (Wednesday)

  • 60′ Men’s Wellness Yoga

April 27th – 29th (Thursday to Saturday)

  • Yoga Teacher Training weekend
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